Leopold Mozart

Wikipedia Biographical Summary:

"...Johann Georg Leopold Mozart (November 14, 1719 – May 28, 1787) was a German composer, conductor, teacher, and violinist. Mozart is best known today as the father and teacher of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and for his violin textbook Versuch einer gründlichen Violinschule..."

"...He was born in Augsburg, son of Johann Georg Mozart (1679–1736), a bookbinder, and his second wife Anna Maria Sulzer (1696–1766)..."

"...While a student in Augsburg, he appeared in student theatrical productions as an actor and singer, and became a skilled violinist and organist..."

"...He withdrew from the St. Salvator Lyceum after less than a year. Following a year's delay, he moved to Salzburg to resume his education, enrolling in November 1737 at the Benedictine University to study philosophy and jurisprudence.[2] At the time Salzburg was the capital of an independent state within the Holy Roman Empire (the Prince-Archbishopric of Salzburg), now part of Austria. Except for periods of travel, Leopold spent the rest of his life there..."

"...Leopold received the degree of Bachelor of Philosophy in 1738. However, in September 1739 he was expelled from the university for poor attendance, having "hardly attended Natural Science more than once or twice"..."

"...In 1747 he married Anna Maria Pertl, who bore him seven children, although only two of them survived past infancy: Maria Anna Wallburga Ignatia (called "Nannerl") and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart..."

"...Leopold discovered that his two children were musically gifted in about 1759, when he began with keyboard lessons for the seven-year-old Nannerl. The toddler Wolfgang immediately began imitating his sister, at first picking out thirds on the keyboard and then making rapid progress under Leopold's instruction. By 1762, the children were ready to work as concert performers, and Leopold began taking the family on extensive concert tour..."

"...Leopold Mozart is a controversial figure among his biographers, with the largest disagreements arising concerning his role as the parent of adult children. Mozart biographer Maynard Solomon has taken a particularly harsh view of Leopold, treating him as tyrannical, mendacious, and possessive; Ruth Halliwell adopts a far more sympathetic view, portraying his correspondence as a sensible effort to guide the life of a grossly irresponsible Wolfgang..."

"...Wolfgang left home permanently in 1781 (see below), and from this time until 1784, Leopold lived in Salzburg with just Nannerl (now in her early thirties) and their servants..."

"...we simply do not know why Nannerl married so late. Nannerl finally did marry in August 1784, at age 33. She moved to the home of her new husband, Johann Baptist Franz von Berchtold zu Sonnenburg, in the small rural town of St. Gilgen, roughly six hours journey east of Salzburg..."

"...In July 1785, Nannerl came to Salzburg to give birth to her first child, a son. The infant stayed behind with Leopold when Nannerl went home, and with the assistance of his servants, Leopold raised the child..."

"...In 1785 Leopold visited Wolfgang and Constanze in Vienna, at a time when his son's career success was at its peak. He witnessed first hand his son's success as a performer, and on February 12 heard Joseph Haydn's widely-quoted words of praise, upon hearing the string quartets Wolfgang dedicated to him, "Before God and as an honest man I tell you that your son is the greatest composer known to me either in person or by name: He has taste, and, furthermore, the most profound knowledge of composition." The visit was the last time that Leopold saw his son..."

"Starting around the time he wrote this letter and continuing through the first part of 1787, Leopold's health was failing. He had become seriously ill by April 4. On this day, Wolfgang wrote to him in alarm at the news, though he did not travel to Salzburg to see him. When Leopold died on 28 May (see below), Wolfgang was unable to attend the funeral, the travel time to Salzburg being too long..."

SOURCE: Wikipedia contributors, 'Leopold Mozart', Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 11 August 2011, 23:39 UTC, <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Leopold_Mozart&oldid=4443...> [accessed 20 August 2011]

Composer, Conductor, and Musician. He is best remembered as the father and teacher of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, as well as his noted violin textbook "Versuch einer grundlichen Violinschule." The son of a bookbinder, he attended the local Jesuit school, Saint Salvator Gymnasium and became a skilled violinist and organist. After graduating in 1735, he attended a more advanced school, the St. Salvator Lyceum but withdrew after less than a year. In November 1737 he moved to Salzburg, Austria to resume his education at the Benedictine University to study philosophy and law, and received a Bachelor of Philosophy Degree in 1738. Two years later he began his career as a professional musician, becoming violinist and valet to one of the university's canons, Johann Baptist, Count of Thurn-Valsassina and Taxis. The same year, he composed his first musical publication, the six Trio Sonatas, Opus, entitled "Sonate sei da chiesa e da camera," followed by a series of German Passion cantatas. In 1743 he was appointed as 4th violinist to Count Leopold Anton von Firmian, the ruling Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg. His duties included composition and the teaching of violin and piano to the choirboys of the Salzburg cathedral. In 1755 he wrote his "Versuch einer grundlichen Violinschule," a comprehensive treatise on violin playing that was published the following year, and continues to serve as a source for 18th century performance practice. In 1758 he was promoted to second violinist and in 1763 to deputy Kapellmeister. He rose no further, and others were repeatedly promoted over him to the head position of Kapellmeister. Around 1759 he discovered that his two children were musically gifted, when he began with keyboard lessons for his seven-year-old daughter Maria Anna (called Nannerl). His young son Wolfgang immediately began imitating his sister, at first picking out thirds on the keyboard and then making rapid progress under Leopold's instruction. By 1762 his children were ready to work as concert performers, and he started taking the family on extensive concert tours, performing for both aristocracy and public, throughout central and western Europe and England. The touring continued into the early 1770s and the last three trips were to Italy, with only Leopold accompanying Wolfgang. His failure to advance above his Vice-Kapellmeister position at Salzburg was attributed to the inordinate amount of time that the journeys kept him away from Salzburg (the longest journey was about three and a half years). After the final return from Italy in 1773, he was repeatedly passed over for the Kapellmeister post. In 1781 Wolfgang left home to pursue his musical career in Vienna and he resided with Nannerl in Salzburg until she married in 1784 and moved to St. Gilgen, Austria. His relationship with Wolfgang was often quarrelsome and they frequently were estranged from each other as he did not always approve of his son's decisions, especially his marriage to Constanze Weber in 1782. In early 1787 his health began to fail and he died soon afterwards at the age of 67. (bio by: [fg.cgi?page=mr&MRid=47016546" target="_blank William Bjornstad)]
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